Indonesian Olympic medalist Triyatno had a look of pained determination on his face as he hauled a 180kg barbell into the air — no mean feat for a weightlifter fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The 28-year-old and fellow weightlifter Eko Yuli Irawan were Indonesia’s only two medal winners at the last Olympics, clinching silver and bronze respectively, and the pressure is on as they gear up for Rio this summer.
However, that has not stopped the athletes joining tens of millions of others in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation in forgoing food and drink during the daytime to mark Ramadan.
Photo: AFP
They said it has not affected their intensive preparations.
“I do not find it a heavy weight, it is not difficult,” Triyatno said of juggling the competing demands of fasting and getting ready for the Olympics. “My training remains the same.”
At a recent session at a gym in Jakarta’s main stadium, the nation’s weightlifting team spent two hours grunting and groaning as they pumped iron under the watchful eyes of their coaches.
Photo: AFP
While most in Indonesia practice a moderate form of Islam, religion still plays a large role in many people’s lives, and the training began with the team standing in a circle and saying a brief prayer.
Triyatno, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, claimed silver at the London 2012 Olympics in the 69kg class with a total of 333kg, while 26-year-old Irawan won bronze in the 62kg class, lifting a total of 317kg.
However, the final medal tally of just two was Indonesia’s worst at an Olympics for more than 20 years, with the performance dragged down by a poor showing from the traditionally strong badminton players.
As the best performers in London, Indonesia’s weightlifting team — which consists of five men and two women — are now carrying the nation’s hopes for success on their broad shoulders as they head into Rio.
Triyatno and Irawan are to face stiff competition from the likes of China and North Korea, but they appeared relaxed at the recent training session.
They said observing Ramadan would not get in the way of their preparations, with the men typically training four hours a day, five days a week.
“Praise be to God, up till now it has not affected me,” Irawan said of the fasting month. “I am used to it, every time there is a championship, we must lose some weight, so we must eat less anyway.”
However, he added that at times it is tough and thirst in particular is a challenge.
“It is a bit difficult to stay focused, but we do not have to train hard every day — some days we just work on our technique,” he said.
National team coach Dirja Wiharja does not believe the nation’s top medal hopes would be affected.
“Indonesian athletes have a warrior mentality, they will fight to give their best — that is what a true champion is,” Wiharja said.
The coach has made adjustments for training in Ramadan.
For the predawn breakfast that Muslims eat to set them up for a day of fasting, the weightlifters are given more supplements than usual and advised against eating unhealthy fried foods. The training starts later, at 9:30am instead of 9am, to give them a little more rest.
Triyatno and Irawan had modest upbringings in Lampung Province on the island of Sumatra, and stumbled into weightlifting almost by accident.
Irawan said he originally wanted to join his local soccer club, but could not afford the monthly fee, so took up weightlifting, which was free, while Triyatno was attracted by the prospect of getting to travel and staying in hotels.
However, they quickly went on to compete at the national level and have never looked back.
After the Eid holiday at the start of next month, marking the end of Ramadan, the weightlifters are to take part in a training camp in South Africa before heading to Rio.
While some have voiced concerns about the impact of fasting, others believe that such strong religious devotion could help Indonesia on the path to Olympic victory.
“If the faith is strong, we should do even better,” said Aveenash Pandoo, a former South African national coach, who is helping the Indonesian athletes prepare for the Olympics.
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